Former Body, Future Spirit
by Ariadne Eire Cerridwyn
Summary: Otogi has been having nightmares involving his classmate, the same classmate who has been missing for nearly two weeks. Written for Rowena's July Challenge. Oneshot.


A/N: Okay, this was written for Rowena DeVandal's One Thousand Words or Less July Writing Challenge, which involved writing a self-insert (a classic or realistic/literal one. I went with literal.) with a twist. The self-insert had to be dead or die at some point in the story. So here it is. I went with the anime-verse, by the way.

Disclaimer: Yuugioh does not belong to me. I only borrowed the character Otogi Ryuuji for a little bit. He will be returned to his owner unharmed at the end of this story. I am making no profit off of this, I'm writing for entertainment, nothing more.

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"_Please, someone help me."_

_Otogi Ryuuji wandered through the streets of Domino City, clearly confused. It was dark out and the street lamps didn't provide much light. He had no idea why he was out this late at night; he didn't even remember leaving his apartment in the first place. To top everything off, he was now hearing voices, particularly that of what sounded like a teenage girl._

"_He's going to kill me. Please, someone…anyone."_

_The voice was nothing more than a meek whimper. Its owner was, without a doubt, scared out of her mind. Otogi listened carefully, trying to follow the voice to its source. She continued crying out for help, slowly spiraling into hysterics. As he turned the corner, he caught sight of a flyer stapled onto a telephone pole. A girl named Lizzie Freeman was missing. Detailed information and a picture accompanied the flyer. Otogi reconized her from school. She was a quiet girl in his literature class who had tranferred from the U.S. _

"_NO! Please, don't! Help!" _

_Otogi followed the now panicked voice into a dark alleyway. He stared into the darkness for a moment or two, wishing he had a flashlight. After a minute's hesitation, he headed toward the sound of her terrified pleads. A chill went down his spine and he stopped dead in his tracks as a bloodcurdling scream filled the air. Silence followed soon after. He swallowed nervously and contemplated turning around. One final cry reached his ears and he froze._

"_Please…help…" _

_He took a deep breath and continued down the dark alleyway, finding a street lamp to finally provide some light. He instantly wished for darkness again, for the sight made him sick to his stomach. It was Lizzie, her body covered in bruises as it lay slumped against the wall. Blood was everywhere, staining her clothes and pooling on the ground around her. Even her sandy blonde hair was tinged with the dark red liquid. Her hollowed green eyes stared blankly into his..._

Otogi woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and shaking. It was the same dream he'd been having for the past week and a half. Every night it got worse as more details unfolded. Tonight was the worst it had ever been. He sighed and threw the covers off himself. Maybe some fresh air would help. As he changed out of his night clothes, he glanced at the clock. It was 1:20 in the morning. He fixed his hair and grabbed his phone and keys before heading out of his apartment, making sure to lock the door.

Once he was outside, he started to feel better. He decided a nice walk would do him some good. His nightmares have been causing him to lose sleep , and it was starting to show. Dark circles were visible under his eyes and he was barely able to focus. The streets of Domino City were dead, save for the few 24 hour businesses that operated here and there. A few blocks down, as he paused at a crosswalk, a familiar flyer was tacked to a nearby telephone pole. Otogi could've sworn his heart stopped beating for a moment. It was the same flyer from his dream, the one that announced the disappearence of his classmate Lizzie Freeman. He quickly crossed the street and continued, only to soon find the entranceway of the dark alley that was all too recognizable. He swallowed nervously as his pulse raced.

Did he dare to enter that alley? He knew what he would find. Lizzie's cries and screams echoed through his mind. He faltered for a moment, then walked forward into the shadows. Even from this distance, he could see the light of the street lamp illuminating the spot on the narrow path some 100 yards away. He reached the beam and his worst fear was now right in front of him. Lizzie's mangled body lay before him, in exactly the manner he saw it in his nightmares. She was dead. With a shaking hand, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed 911. Her vacant jade eyes watching his every move. He shuddered and turned away as he spoke to the police

Loud sirens and flashing lights filled the scene as Otogi waited nearby. Yellow crime scene tape sectioned off the area where Lizzie's body was found. Police, paramedics, and the coroner crowded the already small alleyway. As an officer questioned him about the incident, a stretcher covered with a white blanket was carried past him.

At least two and a half hours passed before the scene was cleaned up and Otogi answered all the officer's questions. After collecting his contact information, the officer seemed sastisfied and Otogi was free to leave. As he exited the alley and started to head back home, he saw a figure standing at the telephone pole where he first saw that flyer. His heart jumped into his throat as Lizzie's soulless eyes stared intensely at him. When he blinked, she was gone. He shivered and hurried back to his apartment, hoping to finally be able to sleep again.

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A/N: Well there you have it. To clear up any possible confusion, I chose a western based name because I mentioned she was a transfer student from the U.S. Also, though it's a self-insert, my name was changed to protect me =]. My real name is not Lizzie Freeman. I hope I managed to keep Otogi in character. I'm only just becoming familiar with the Japanese version of the anime.


End file.
